AG Greg Abbott Fears Battleground Texas More Than North Korea

Kim Jung-un may have nuclear missiles pointed towards Central Texas, but Attorney General Greg Abbott is more concerned about the grassroots organizers pointing Democrats towards the voting booth.

At a Republican Club meeting in Waco, Abbott stoked the flames of partisan rancor by railing against the United Nations and emphasizing the threat that Battleground Texas poses to Republican dominance in Texas.

Abbott also weighed in on Battleground Texas, a group formed by veterans of Obama's presidential campaigns hoping to make Democrats more competitive in Texas, where the party hasn't won a statewide election in nearly two decades.

“One thing that requires ongoing vigilance is the reality that the state of Texas is coming under a new ?assault, an assault far more dangerous than what the leader of North Korea threatened when he said he was going to add Austin, Texas, as one of the recipients of his nuclear weapons,” Abbott said. “The threat that we're getting is the threat from the Obama administration and his political machine.”

Battleground Texas realizes Republicans can't win a presidential election without Texas' 38 electoral votes, which makes the state “the last line of defense” in protecting the country's future, he said.

Abbott's the likely GOP nominee for Governor in 2014 — I don't expect Perry to run again, and given how much Perry's money men are donating to Abbott these days, it's clear the fat-cat cronies don't either. His comments are red meat tossed to the Republican primary electorate, which for the time being remains the voting bloc that determines every statewide official in Texas.

He clearly took a breath from suing the Feds long enough to realize that Republicans' hold on Texas becomes tenuous as Democrats get informed and turn out in greater numbers than they have in the past. Abbott has every right to be nervous — the Houston Chronicle recently reported that if Texas Latinos had the same turnout rate as Anglo voters, the Lone Star State would already be a Battleground.

In case you've stopped keeping track, Abbott has sued the Obama administration 25 times, which has cost the state $2.58 million and more than 14,000 hours spent by staff and state attorneys as of September. He lost the Affordable Care Act decision, and has mostly been on the losing end of the stick in redistricting as well.

Battleground Texas has emphasized that the change in Texas elections won't occur overnight. However, their work will be a crucial part in not only making Texas competitive but also helping Democrats win — and hopefully doom the electoral chances of right-wing partisan panderers like Greg Abbott in the process.

About Author

Katherine Haenschen is a PhD candidate at the University of Texas, where she studies political participation on digital media. She previously managed successful candidate, issue, voter registration, and GOTV campaigns in Central Texas. She is also a fan of UCONN women's basketball and breakfast tacos.